Everyone wants to be thin to look handsome or beautiful depending on whether the person is a man or a woman. Say bluntly that people want to lose weight and they want to do it fast. But which is a better way, lose weight fast or focus on slow weight loss? This is a question that has puzzled researchers in view of the fact that studies have indicated mixed results. Still, the findings offer some great insights.
Research on rapid weight loss
In a study conducted at the University of Florida, scientists concluded that rapid weight loss is a better approach to achieving lasting results. The fastest group lost more than 1.5 pounds per week. The slowest group lost just half a pound a week. This study reported that the women who lost weight the fastest were 5 times more likely than the other group to lose 10% of their body weight after eighteen months.
In this study, the people who lost weight faster kept food diaries and didn’t eat the same number of calories as the group who lost weight more gradually. These are remarkable observations, as they are a clue to what will help you achieve lasting results.
Other inferences were that the rapid weight loss group was experiencing noticeable changes in physical appearance and vitality levels. This encouraged them to continue with their plans relentlessly.
Fast Weight Loss Definition
The key to answering this question remains in the definition of “rapid weight loss”. According to some studies, people who lose outrageous amounts of pounds in a short period of time without first changing their clothes end up gaining the weight back. This bodes well since losing 5 to 10 pounds or more per week is exhausting and possibly unhealthy. It’s something that’s hard to maintain long-term, often requiring extreme calorie cutting or exercising for an amount of time and intensity level that can’t be achieved long-term.
For example, if your goal is to lose 5 pounds a week, that means burning 17,500 calories in a week. To reach this goal, you need to reduce your caloric intake by 1,500 calories per day and burn 1,000 each day through intense exercise. This is extremely difficult to maintain long-term for many people and does not allow you to form new, healthy habits.
Set achievable weight loss goals
As the study above shows, setting your weight loss goal at 1 to 2 pounds per week is sensible and achievable. You can accomplish this by cutting out high-fat foods and sugary snacks and drinks. Keeping track of your food intake in a food diary will help you form healthy eating habits.
In closing, you should stay away from weight loss plans that encourage you to lose too much or too little weight in one go. You need to lose enough weight to see a difference and stay inspired to continue your healthy habits. It’s best to stay away from extreme eating plans that make you feel deprived and leave you craving your old eating habits.